skorned's reviews
632 reviews

The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane

3.0

I'm torn about this one. It didn't feel fleshed out enough for me, and it fell kind of flat. Suddenly a few chapters in, we switch perspectives, which I don't mind in books (i actually really like it) but it didn't fit, I felt. Or maybe it just felt sudden. 

Overall this book was fine but i expected more. It fell a little flat for me, it didn't have the shine that I felt Ask Again, Yes did.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

3.75

Fast, compelling thriller. 

Sounds Like Home: Growing Up Black and Deaf in the South by Mary Herring Wright

informative slow-paced

3.0

Interesting to read about a young Black girl who grows up in the South and goes deaf. This is a historical account; it reads a bit like someone just telling you about their lives, without big conflicts or huge plot twists. Just the everyday experiences. 

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

mysterious medium-paced

3.5

I liked this! I'm interested in reading the Guest List because I've heard it's similar. 

I like the multiple perspectives, even if i didn't like all the characters. I called one part of the mystery (

that it's Julien's baby

) but didn't know the end, which was fun!

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

I can't tell how i feel about this book. I didnt really like Cyrus, and maybe because i dont really like poetry, i found it hard to connect with his project and writing. I did like the parts from the perspectives of other people.

and the part about his mom at the end was really shocking and sad. I get people needing to make a bew life, but to leave your kid? And never contact them again? Even when they're grown up?

We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian

4.0

This was so good! Just quietly deceptively warm and romantic and real.

You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian

4.0

Ugh, so good. I loved mark, i loved eddie, i loved their story and the quiet way their story is told. Just so good. 

All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung

emotional medium-paced

3.75

Excellent -- Nicole Chung is thoughtful and honest in her memoir of growing up in a white family as a transracial adoptee. I really appreciated how she wove together the different threads of her families, and felt like I was really getting insight into her lived experience. I have adopted members of my family and this felt neither accusatory nor a glowing endorsement, which feels really true. I would really recommend this book.

Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Beautiful and devastating; this is a must read for everyone looking for some insight into what being Palestinian looks like. It spans generations and countries, telling the story of one family and one young girl (who becomes not so young by the end). I cannot recommend this enough.

Not Your Crush's Cauldron by April Asher

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No

2.5

I got bored about halfway through and really had to force myself to keep reading. The first two were better, maybe I just didn't like Olive and Baxter that much.